In This Chapter
You already have great resources
Creating a home learning environment
Helpful supplies
More helpful resources
Simple starting points
Resources
In This Chapter
You already have great resources
Creating a home learning environment
Helpful supplies
More helpful resources
Simple starting points
Resources
WHEN WE FIRST consider homeschooling, many of us reach for our checkbooks. We think about buying curriculum, paper, pencils, lab supplies, and turning at least part of our home into something that resembles school. Read this chapter before you sign that first check, though. You may find that your home already contains most of the items experienced home educators say they cannot live without.
LOOK AROUND YOUR home. Check out every room including the kitchen, garage, and yard. If you see books, magazines, an encyclopedia, dictionaries, an atlas, a radio, and perhaps musical instruments or sports equipment, you already have great resources. So long as you can find pens, sharpened pencils, and paper, you have the makings of a fine homeschool, without spending another cent.
We asked our survey respondents, “If you had to homeschool on an island and could only take ten things with you, what would they be? In other words, what items do you have in your home that you consider invaluable for home education?” Answers range from serious articles like dictionaries to frivolous can’t-live-without-it items like chocolate. The answers reflect, above all, the incredible diversity of home educators.
Denise responds, “I had to laugh when I read this question. We are on an island, and we moved here without our household goods so we had to really think hard about what to bring. Here is our list: computer, TV-VCR, keyboard for piano-playing son, guitar for our daughter, textbooks we could not find at the library, maps and posters, blow-up globe, dictionary and thesaurus, Norton anthologies, and telescope and microscope.”
Karen, like Denise, lives in a very rural area. She thought carefully about the most important items for their homeschool. She writes, “We live thirty miles from the nearest large grocery store and fifteen miles from the nearest country library, which is only about 900 square feet.” Karen’s top-ten island-resource list includes: “Computer and Internet access; history and science software; lots of books; American School course; telescope and star chart; cable TV; VCR and tapes for the Discovery Channel, History Channel, the Learning Channel; CD player and music from different composers; woodworking tools; and automotive tools.”
TOP-TEN ISLAND RESOURCES
Number after each item indicates how many respondents out of 104 included this item on their top ten lists:
Pens, pencils, and paper (85)
Computer with Internet access (68)
Bible or other holy book (52)
Home library/lots of books (45)
Dictionary (40)
Piano/musical instruments (38)
Encyclopedia (35)
TV/VCR/CD player (32)
Art supplies (32)
Atlas/wall maps/globes (28)
Amy, homeschooling since 1984, lists her ten essential items as “A piano, a library of great fiction, a travel agent, a computer, songbooks, camping equipment, a CD player, a set of encyclopedias, a sewing machine, and colored pencils.” Only half-jokingly, she adds, “We would make paper out of local wood pulp.”
Many who responded to this question emphasize hands-on materials, whether for music, art, or science. Johanna, homeschooling since 1992 in Minnesota, says she would take a set of colored pencils, drawing paper, notebooks, origami paper, laptop computer, at least one musical instrument, model rockets and engines, and batteries. Sharon in North Vancouver, British Columbia, lists her top resources—a computer with Internet access, dictionary, duct tape, vegetable seeds, complete works of Shakespeare, baseball equipment, cookbook, notebooks, pens, radio.
Other respondents put more emphasis on books. Molly who homeschools her children on a large cattle ranch in Colorado, says, “I couldn’t imagine homeschooling without our 2,300-plus volume library.” Kim reports that they would take the scriptures, the computer, Shakespeare’s complete works, violins, music, paper, art supplies, Little Women, David Copperfield, and Puzzle Books. Lauren in Ithaca, New York, also prominently features books on her list, which she says includes an encyclopedia, a computer, the American Heritage Dictionary, a shortwave radio, art supplies, colored pencils, collections of literature, and an atlas.
Interestingly, only twelve respondents out of 104 mention curriculum and textbooks on their top-ten lists. Only two respondents talk about including a desk, two others a chalkboard or whiteboard. One specified a filing cabinet. Most respondents favor computers, books, and hands-on resources over traditional school hardware.
Janet, an unschooler in Oregon with five children, so closely integrates home education and life that she finds it difficult to specify ten items. She writes, “I don’t think of things as invaluable for homeschooling as much as invaluable for life. For example, our family unicycles, so our unicycles are very important. If you call our riding physical education, then I suppose they are invaluable for homeschooling. Our daughter is a very knowledgeable birder, so her binoculars and spotting scope are very important. But I would never call her birding homeschooling—it is just a life activity.”
Even those on tight budgets can create rich home learning environments. Of course, books and magazines and catalogs—lots of reading material—usually pervade rich learning environments. Just as important, however, stimulating homes include attitudes and practices and organizational techniques conducive to learning. Here are questions that outline significant areas.
Are books accessible throughout your home?
Can you find important references when you need them?
Do you have areas or rules that allow for both quiet and noisy activity? Do you have a place for the musician who practices for four hours as well as provision for the voracious reader who demands extended quiet time?
Do your teenagers have your undivided attention several times each day?
Do you encourage friends, neighbors, and relatives of all ages to visit and discuss their lives and concerns?
If you have a computer, is your teenager’s access commensurate with his needs? (Ask the same question for television.)
When building your learning environment, think not only about what to include but also about how to include it.
It makes no sense to own encyclopedias that remain stacked in an inaccessible closet. Having a piano and television in the same room doesn’t work if you never turn the television off. Frequent discussion with a wide range of people enhances listening, speaking, and critical thinking skills. When building your learning environment, think not only about what to include but also about how to include it.
Even though most of us have library and Internet access, it is important to keep reference materials at home for your teenagers. Browsing at the library and surfing the Internet cannot replace in-depth experience won over time with even just a few convenient references.
Most of our survey respondents mention basic references as the backbones of their home libraries. These include dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauruses, quote books, atlases, and almanacs.
Browsing at the library and surfing the Internet cannot replace in-depth experience won over time with even just a few convenient references.
Dictionaries top the list. With hundreds on the market, selecting one or two can be trickier than you think. Useful dictionaries include not only pronunciations and definitions, but also sections on etymology or word origins, definitions of common foreign words and phrases, drawings and pictures, and quotations showing how authors like Shakespeare used different words. Good dictionaries are attractive and fun to browse. Lauren has shopped and compared. She writes, “I am a fan of the American Heritage Dictionary for ease of use, etymological information, sections on linguists, illustrations, and so on.” Many report that this dictionary doubles as a mini-encyclopedia.
Acquiring several dictionaries makes sense. Some families own a small desk-copy edition for quick reference and a larger volume for in-depth definitions. Dictionaries, like all other books, reflect the views of their editors. As teens mature, they will find it interesting and educational to compare definitions of the same word in different dictionaries.
After the dictionary, most families think about getting an encyclopedia. These come in two forms, book or CD-ROM and—in the case of books—two sizes: small one-to-three volume editions and large multi-volume sets, such as the World Book Encyclopedia or Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedias excel at giving readers an overview of a subject. Usually you will have to consult specialized references to explore topics in more depth. For that reason, you may want to invest in a small, one-to-three volume encyclopedia and move to a larger set only if you find that inadequate. Above all, shop for an encyclopedia with your teenagers to ensure you buy one they find both attractive and easy to use.
The third general reference most families homeschooling teenagers buy is a thesaurus or synonym finder. A thesaurus looks much like a dictionary. Instead of definitions, however, it lists synonyms or word substitutes. Thesauruses help writers find the right term, avoid irritating repetition, and create clear and informative prose. Many professional authors would give up their dictionary before their thesaurus. Synonym finders, like dictionaries and encyclopedias, come in different formats, so preview several before purchasing one.
MONEY SEVER
Libraries replace their encyclopedias every year or two. Call to ask when and how used sets will be sold. You may find a bargain.
Will your teenagers be writing speeches, newsletter articles, reports, or papers? Or do they simply enjoy new twists on old sayings and ideas? If so, you will want to invest in at least one book of quotations. The most well-known quote book is Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. In addition, a host of others now flood the market, many of them specialized for certain uses or occasions. The Book of Positive Quotations contains uplifting messages, and 3,500 Good Quotes for Speakers provides observations and witticisms that add spice to speeches. Check used bookstores for a good selection.
After the dictionary, encyclopedia, thesaurus, and quote book, think atlas. How many times do you look up locations worldwide? In our household, we refer to atlases to understand current and historic events, preview travel locations, and relate geographic details like rivers and mountain ranges to states and countries. While the big all-inclusive atlases in bookstores may look appealing, consider instead buying a student world atlas for quick reference plus one or more specialized atlases, depending on your family’s interests. Look for a student atlas that includes political subdivisions, like state and country boundaries, as well as topographic features, like deserts, lakes, and mountains.
Our final basic reference, an almanac, picks up where the encyclopedia and atlas leave off. Almanacs, compiled annually, specialize in up-to-date facts and figures. They include current political maps, statistics on national and international issues, science updates, election returns, synopses of important recent events. Tables in one current almanac detail endangered species in 1999, life expectancy in the United States from 1950 to 1997, poverty statistics by state, a time line of second millennium events, obituaries of famous people who died in 1999, and much more.
Many of our survey respondents value field guides, books filled with pictures and descriptions of stars, reptiles, birds, insects, rocks, and other parts of the natural world.
With dictionaries, atlases, and other general references in place, you will want to add specialized references. Home educators find at least three uses for specialized references—browsing, entertainment, and research. Of course, consider first those sources most applicable to your children and their interests. Marta recommends The Math Kit, which she says is “a wonderful resource book with everything you want to know from simple calculations to trigonometry.” Emma’s daughter constantly browses The Little-Brown Book of Anecdotes, which they found at a used bookstore. Carolyn prefers to stock up on pre-1960 reference books. Many of our survey respondents value field guides, books filled with pictures and descriptions of stars, reptiles, birds, insects, rocks, and other parts of the natural world.
Homeschool travelers typically build reference libraries throughout their journey, over several years. To do this inexpensively, make a list of items of interest, and keep it with you at all times. Then look for reference materials as well as curricula and other instructional materials at all of the following locations.
HOW WE DID IT
Specialized references our survey respondents recommend include an unapologetic mixture of the generic and specific!
Bibles (different translations)
Bible concordances and commentaries
Complete Works of Shakespeare
Field guides, such as the Peterson Guide to Wildflowers
Gray’s Anatomy
Greek mythology anthologies
History of Us by Joy Hakim
History textbooks
Reader’s Digest reference books
Specialized dictionaries (law dictionary, music dictionary)
Specialized encyclopedias (Oxford Music Encyclopedia, for example)
The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant
Time lines
Write Source, Elements of Style, St. Martin’s Handbook and other grammar references
Amazon.com. This well-stocked online bookstore offers discounts across the board, reasonable shipping, and great service.
Barnes and Noble. They offer an educator’s discount card for a percentage off any title you use in your homeschool. Other bookstores, especially educational supply stores, may have a similar deal. Always ask.
Friends, neighbors, and relatives. Remind them at least twice yearly to give you first right of refusal on any books they plan to discard or donate to charity. Or ask if you can help clean their basement or attic. You never know what you will find, and most people like assisting with educational endeavors.
MONEY SEVER
Hunt used bookstores to locate essential references. Stock up on several dictionaries and quotation books.
Garage, rummage, church, and yard sales. Of course, you will sift through many boxes of books before you find one on your list, but books sell for dimes and quarters at garage sales.
Library sales. Most libraries receive regular book donations. In addition, they turn over their own stock, books that no one checks out any longer. Our local library handles a small part of their surplus with a rack of used books for purchase every day. They also schedule book sale Saturdays every two months, when they unload thousands of titles. A friend of mine got a two-year-old encyclopedia (World Book) for $25 at a library sale.
School discards. Unfortunately, many schools tote old books to the Dumpster when new editions arrive. Others have resale facilities, open to the public, where they either give away discards or sell them for very low prices. We have acquired foreign language tapes, laboratory equipment, classical music, and educational games as well as books at these facilities. Call your school district and ask what they do with discards. Even if they dump them, they may allow you to sift through them first.
Thrift shops. Check the bookshelves of local Goodwill and other outlets for classics, reference books, and old texts.
Used book stores. Make regular visits to local used bookstores, which rival new bookstores in two areas. Prices for used books—and sometimes used music—range from 25 to 75 percent of new books. Just as important, used bookstores carry hard-to-find out-of-print titles.
Used curriculum sales. Many local and state homeschool groups sponsor curriculum exchanges at least once per year. In addition, check with used curriculum vendors, many of which operate nationwide and worldwide. See the list at the end of chapter 9.
To build your home library past the reference and curriculum stage, review one or more resource guides. In the 1980s, we only had two resource books—Mary Pride’s The Big Book of Home Learning and Donn and Jean Reed’s The Homeschool Sourcebook. Now we have many more from a wide range of compilers. In addition, all of the national homeschool publications also include resource review columns. For example, Homeschooling Today has book, software, and multimedia review columns in every issue.
Resource guides contain in-depth descriptions and evaluations of curricula, references, real books, and hands-on materials, together with prices and purchasing information. Check your library for one or more of the titles suggested under Resources at the end of the chapter.
Begin with the basics—paper, pens, and pencils. Then expand. For math, think rulers, protractors, compasses, and graph paper. For writing and art, stock construction paper, staplers, colored markers, binders, folders, and so on. Most of us have no problem obtaining these resources. Unfortunately, many of us have problems finding them once we get them home.
In our homeschool, if we were unable to locate a pencil, we could not accomplish much. We designated a single closet for writing instruments, all kinds of paper, rulers and protractors, desk supplies, art materials, and so on. To save and to avoid buying items we already had, we all used the same supplies, and we returned materials to the organized closet after use.
Several years ago, a television reporter visited our house to do a story on homeschooling. They asked whether they could videotape our teenagers “doing school.” We had a tough time accommodating their request. I explained that our son and daughter read on their beds or a couch and completed math assignments at the kitchen table. For other projects, they might use a worktable in the basement or garage. Both the reporter and his cameraman were dumbfounded to learn that neither of our children routinely used their bedroom desks.
Some fathers feel the same way—that learning occurs best in the “school” position—sitting at a table, for example. When asked if her children use special workspaces, Darla writes, “No, though Dad has complained that they should. When he wins—or should I say when he is home—they use the dining-room table.”
Darla’s husband would probably approve of Laura’s household. Her teenagers use an office, which has two desks.
In contrast, more than 80 percent of our survey respondents say their teenagers shun desks. Carrie, homeschooling a fourteen-year-old daughter, writes, “She has a library table, bulletin board, and shelves in her work area. Actually, though, she works all over the house. Often she starts a project one place, then moves to another area to do something else.” Marla reports, “We have tables in a schoolroom, but our teens work throughout the house. They do not have a specific place, but the tables do allow them to leave materials spread out.” Ellen says her daughter has no special workspace, using only a basket and shelf for her school stuff. Gina confesses, “Our teens have desks, used as storage, not as study space.”
WHILE YOU CAN homeschool without the following resources, enough home educators use them to warrant inclusion here.
As we move into the new millennium, we find an exponentially increasing amount of information via computer, either through software or the Internet. Chapter 11 details educational options available to families who integrate computers into their homeschooling.
Just three to five years ago, buying a computer represented a major investment. We would tell homeschooling families without computers to budget carefully and save for one. The Internet offered good educational Web sites and research opportunities. Educational software motivated teenagers to learn on their own.
Two things have changed. First, computer software and Internet sites are not just good; they are so outstanding that it is difficult to imagine homeschooling without them. Second, computers now cost less than some bicycles, television sets, or musical instruments. Most families can afford one.
Homeschooled teens usually study algebra by age fourteen or fifteen. Although experts argue over the educational value of supplying a calculator to an early- or middle-years child, most agree that bogging students down with complicated multiplications and divisions while they learn advanced math creates unnecessary frustration.
Computers now cost less than some bicycles, television sets, or musical instruments. Most families can afford one.
Do you need a fancy graphing calculator? Not for most students. A basic model with the four arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), plus log and exponential functions, will do the trick. If your teenager studies trigonometry, you should upgrade to a calculator with the trig functions: sine, cosine, and tangent.
So many of our survey respondents use educational videotapes that it is almost as difficult to imagine homeschooling without a television and videocassette recorder as without a computer. Chapter 11 describes educational uses of the TV-VCR combination.
Home educators bring audio books, music, great lectures, speaking practice, and foreign language drill into their homes for less than $20 when they purchase a basic audiocassette tape player. Kinesthetic and auditory learners much prefer hearing classic literature to reading it. Budding musicians not only listen to the Greats, they tape themselves to determine how to improve their playing. Teens writing speeches will want to practice by taping themselves. Most libraries carry foreign language tapes, which you can play at home or in the car.
As we described in chapter 8, many home educators devote time and monetary resources to music. Whether you pay for lessons or not, you will probably find that if you keep enough musical instruments around, sooner or later your teenagers will experiment with one or more of them.
MONEY SEVER
Watch your local newspaper classified ads for used computers. Compulsive upgraders buy new hardware every year or two. Better it should go to you for a couple of hundred dollars than to the dump!
Pianos are nice, but you need not crowd an expensive keyboard into your living room to encourage music making. Instead consider recorders, harmonicas, tin whistles, ukeleles, and African drums. Just make them available and watch what happens.
Many of our survey respondents say they could not homeschool without art supplies. They keep stashes of construction paper, posterboard, tape, glue, paint, and markers together and make them readily available. At least three survey respondents comment on how often their teenagers use colored pencils.
Supplies for your trip? You have many and can gradually acquire the remainder. Plan ahead and buy as your budget permits.
Compile a deserted island list for home education. Ask your teenager to do the same. What do you absolutely have to have? What do you need? What does your teenager need?
Make a list of reference books and other needed titles. Watch for these at library, garage sales, and homeschool used book sales.
Before you buy—even used materials—review several different dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases at the library to learn about different features.
Browse one or more of the homeschool resource guides listed below. Decide what additional curriculum or instructional materials you will need to purchase.
Discuss workspace with your teenagers. List options. If they want a special space, help them create it.
Call your local and statewide support groups and ask about the next curriculum exchange or used materials sale.
Bell, Debra. The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling. Word Books, 2000.
Duffy, Cathy. Christian Home Educators’ Curriculum Manual: Junior/Senior High 1997–98. Grove Publishing, 1997.
Leppert, Michael and Mary. Homeschooling Almanac, 2000–2001. Prima Publishing, 1999.
Pride, Mary. The Big Book of Home Learning: Teen and Adult. Crossway Books, 1999.
Reed, Donn and Jean. Home School Sourcebook, 3rd Edition. Brook Farm Books, 1999.
Rupp, Rebecca. The Complete Home Learning Source Book: The Essential Resource Guide for Homeschoolers, Parents, Educators Covering Every Subject. Three Rivers Press, 1998.
Wade, Theodore E. The Homeschool Manual: Plans, Pointers, Reasons and Resources, 7th Edition. Gazelle Publications, 1998.
The Elijah Company, The Elijah Company 888-2-ELIJAH, http://www.elijahco.com
John Holt Book and Music Store, 617-864-3100, http://www.holt-gws.com
The Education Source, http://www.edusource.com
Homeschool Resource Guide, http://members.home.net/cthomeschool/guide.htm
Allen, John. Student Atlas of World Geography. McGraw Hill, 1999.
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Houghton Mifflin, 1992.
Bartlett, John. Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations: A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature. Little Brown, 1992.
Byrne, Robert. 1911 Best Things Anybody Ever Said. Fawcett Books, 1988.
Chapman, Robert, Editor. Roget’s International Thesaurus. HarperCollins, 1992.
Clark, Sandra. A Dictionary of Who, What, and Where in Shakespeare: A Comprehensive Guide to Shakespeare’s Plays, Characters, and Contemporaries. NTC Publishing, 1997.
Cook, John, Editor. The Book of Positive Quotations. Fairview Press, 1997.
Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia. Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Givis, Steven. Dictionary of Legal Terms: A Simplified Guide to the Language of Law. Barron’s, 1998.
Gorton, Julia and Nicholas Price. The Student World Atlas. Lodestar Books Dutton, 1994.
Gray, Henry. Gray’s Anatomy: Anatomy, Descriptive, and Surgical. Running Press, 1991.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. Warner Books, 1999.
Henry, Matthew. Commentary on the Whole Bible. Hendrickson Publishers, 1991.
Kipfer, Barbara Ann, Editor. 21st Century Dictionary of Quotations. Dell Publishing, 1993. Also the 21st Century Synonym and Antonym Finder.
Lebtecht, Norman. The Book of Musical Anecdotes: Hundreds of Classic and Little-Known Stories about the World’s Greatest Composers and Performers. Free Press, 1985.
Leclerc, Paul (Preface) and Paul Fargis, Editor. The New York Public Library Desk Reference (3rd Edition). IDG Books, 1998.
Merriam-Webster’s Biographical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, 1995.
Reagan, Michael and Bob Phillips. The All-American Quote Book. Harvest House, 1995.
Rodale, J. I., Nancy Laroche, and Faye C. Allen. Synonym Finder. Warner Books, 1986.
Sadie, Stanley. The Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music. Norton, 1994.
Schonberg, Harold. The Lives of the Great Composers. Norton, 1997.
Shakespeare, William and David Bevington, Editor. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Addison-Wesley, 1997.
Shakespeare, William and Hugh Rawson and Margaret Miner. A Dictionary of Quotations from Shakespeare: A Topical Guide to over 3,000 Great Passages from the Plays, Sonnets, and Narrative Poems. Meridian Books, 1996.
Strong, James. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Thomas Nelson, 1997.
Urdang, Laurence. The Timetables of American History. Touchstone, 1996.
Wetterau, Bruce. The New York Public Library Book of Chronologies. IDG Books, 1994.
Zimmerman, John. Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Bantam Books, 1983.
See also: Many Peterson Field Guides on rocks, birds, wildflowers, stars, trees, insects, mammals, and other natural science topics.
